We're Mad for Graham Vick's Lucia di Lammermoor!

We're always psyched to have the company of British opera director Graham Vick up in this piece -- he who is so capable of f@4king-up your opera house -- that we pulled out our white Valextra wallets, and headed over to the closest newsstand where la Repubblica (and weekly mag L'espresso) is selling his Lucia di Lammermoor DVD in a special offer.

First seen in 1996 at Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Vick's Lucia production has had a lot of playtime the past dozen years, and was most recently staged at the much hyped San Francisco Opera earlier this year, Natalie Dessay's stellar interpretation of Lucia deserving all the props it got.

Directed by Vick, his Lucia is an organic version dominated by a full yellow moon hovering over the stage. Gorgeous moor heather & lavender sprinkle the sets in purple & red, pulling warmth from the frigid Scottish Highlands, tho impervious to the blustery, windswept canvases behind. Peppered with conventions like a cinematic split screen, the direction and scenery compliment the dreamlike madness of Lucia -- who goes mad on a carpet of blood-red roses. Crazy for love, literally.

The DVD was filmed live in 2003 from Teatro Carlo Felice in Genova and stars Stefania Bonfadelli as Lucia, Roberto Frontali as Enrico, and Marcellone Alvarez as Edgardo. It was conducted by Patrick Fournillier.

Comments

[Sarah]

Whatever happened to Stefania Bonfadelli, btw??